Save time for a hobby

I started growing an indoor garden a few weeks ago. I’m not sure what prompted the need for me to buy seeds and try my hands at producing fresh vegetables but I’m glad I made the choice to. I’ve found that if you have a hobby and you can actively do it day in and day out, it brings a sense of fulfillment to your life. In my case, the routine of turning on the grow lights and making sure the crops have enough water is a nice start to the day and gives me something to look at if I need a break from my computer monitor.

Like any novice farmer, I have to spend some time at least describing my crops. I started out with just a few pots, some potting soil and tomato and sweet pepper seeds. We got a set at Walmart where they were just small clay pots. I didn’t really like that concept and probably with good reason because if you really want to ensure your crops grow, you should start them either in the pot you’re going to have them in after they’ve grown or start them in a greenhouse seed starter kit. So I planted cherry tomatoes and cilantro in the greenhouse kit. The tomatoes shot up like crazy and were ready to be transplanted. I took a 3ft pot and placed 6 tomatoes in there. That was probably a mistake since they really should be spaced out more. But after I placed them there I made sure I took care of them well. I got self watering pots where you put the water from below so that the roots would be the first to get soaked in water. I turned on the overhead fan so that I could simulate wind and make the stems even stronger. With all of these things going on, I felt very proud of what I’ve done.

In the next couple of weeks we ended up adding yellow onions to the mix. The yellow onions I’ve actually kind of failed at because even with the stem growth, some of the bulbs actually were rotten and so I ended up not having great luck. We added an orchid and another tropical plant which the name of has slipped my mind. This new hobby of mine has really brought a fun addition to my morning routine.

I think the reason why I’m writing about hobbies is because in our busy lives I think it’s good to have something that is not work related and not family related in your life. Life is all about giving to others but you do have to take care of yourself as well. By having a healthy hobby such as my gardening or volunteering at a church group or at a homeless shelter, you are giving yourself a chance to be proud of yourself and passionate for something in your life. It’s a great way to wind down a day or start up a day.

So if you don’t have a hobby or if you haven’t been able to keep one going because you’re busy, try blocking out part of your day or part of your week towards a hobby. It’s definitely something that will make you happy and in turn make others around you happy. It could even be something that helps others unintentionally, like this blog!